Login

Annette Wyatt was born in Oxford, Mississippi on May 5, 1975, to Bridget and Steve Wyatt.

Bridget temporarily quit teaching school to raise her daughter and to instill in her a deep and lasting will to excel at everything. Bridget cheered Annette's successes and admonished her defeats. Annette quickly learned that, to get love and attention from her mother, she must be perfect at everything.

Steve, who managed a local bank, loved Annette but left the child-rearing to his wife.

Annette's only sibling, Theresa, was born two years later. The girls rarely got along during their youth, mainly because their mother pitted them against each other. Both girls excelled in school and sports. Both also graduated high school at the top of their classes. They rarely see each other now since Theresa lives hundreds of miles away in Tennessee, but they are cordial to each other.

After high school, Annette attended the University of Mississippi and majored in business with a goal to finish at the top of her class and then earn a master's degree. But she soon began suffering from anxiety. To cope, she developed nervous habits like pulling out her hair and biting her nails. She also became obsessive about exercise.

Annette had a series of failed romances during college that also threw her off course. First there was Adam, the anthropology major, who broke up with her to study abroad. Then there was Brandon, a fellow business major who dumped her for another woman. Then there was Ryan, a varsity football player who eventually left her because she was too "intense."

By the time she'd graduated, Annette had lost her drive and ambition. Instead of going for her master's degree, she worked a series of temporary jobs for a few years until she accepted a low-paying job as a receptionist in a start-up real estate agency.

She quickly proved herself to be invaluable to the agency and its owner, Jeff Harte. She was quick, intelligent, savvy, and had great instincts. Jeff came to rely heavily on Annette, whom he promoted to lead agent after she obtained her real-estate license. This fueled her self-confidence and helped her overcome her past.

Annette also became attracted to Jeff, and the two started dating. For a while, her life seemed perfect, and her nervous habits disappeared. She imagined the two marrying and having children. Instead, their relationship cooled, and Jeff met and married another woman – Elena.

Annette threw herself into work. She became a cold and calculated business woman, driven by a need for money and success. After of years working side-by-side with Jeff to build the business and make it thrive, she decided she deserved a higher position within the company. She wanted to become a partner in the business and repeatedly asked Jeff to make her one, but he continuously put her off, saying it wasn’t the right time.

During this time – and, indeed, throughout most of her life – Annette’s only true friend and confidant was her high school pal Naomi Fields. She’s a year younger and had always looked up to and admired Annette the way Annette had wished her own sister would have done. The two talked regularly, often about their jobs and the men in their lives.

On September 16, 2012, Annette Wyatt’s body was discovered in the Harte Agency copy room.